Eurostar announced on Tuesday that it would buy up to 50 new double-decker trains for use across its train network from major European cities including Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne to London’s St Pancras station via the Channel Tunnel.
The company said it had reached a 2 billion euro (approximately $2.3 billion) deal with French manufacturer Alstom to buy the planned all-electric “Celestia” trains, starting in 2031.
Eurostar sees the purchase as an expansion plan, saying the 30 to 50 new trains will run along its existing fleet of just 17 single-decker e320s built by Siemens. The new models will have 20% more seats, a lower floor and a higher ceiling than the current ones.
Although double-decker trains are not used on the British railway network, apart from an experimental double-decker model in service about half a century ago, the busiest railway lines in the south-east of England are among the few that can, in theory, handle larger and taller trains.
A common sight on European railways, double-decker trains are unsuitable for much of the UK network, due to low bridges and too close together railway lines. The high-speed line from the tunnel entrance at Folkestone to St Pancras in London was built to European standards and opened in 2003.
Eurostar seeks expansion and new lines, while its rivals look at the use of the Channel Tunnel
Eurostar, long the monopoly operator of the renowned English Channel railway line that connects London to the continent without ships or planes, is looking to expand its services to include cities such as Geneva and Frankfurt in the coming years.
Eurostar chief executive Gwendoline Cazenave told the PA news agency that the company awarded the contract to Alstom because it wanted to receive “bespoke trains as soon as possible”, saying it is “leading the race” to meet the growing demand for international train travel.
The “landmark order” was part of Eurostar’s “ambitious growth strategy” to reach 30 million passengers a year, up from 19.5 million in 2024, it said. Cazenave also said larger trains would provide additional space for bicycles and wheelchair users, as well as more legroom for passengers. Travelers will be able to choose which level to sit on, with no difference in price, the company says.
Alstom chief executive Henri Poupart-Lafarge said the announcement demonstrated Eurostar’s desire to “combine technological performance, energy efficiency and passenger comfort”.
Eurostar plans to renew and expand its depot at Temple Mills, east London, to maintain and operate the new fleet from there.
But the company could also face competition for the first time on the world’s longest underwater railway stretch.
The UK’s rail and road regulator is expected to announce a decision on which other operators should have access to Temple Mills in the coming weeks.
Several operators, including Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, state rail company FS Italiane Group and Gemini Trains, have expressed interest.
Eurostar is majority owned by the French state railway company SNCF. The British government sold its stake in the operator to private companies in 2015.
Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher
